CEQA

Amid a statewide student housing crisis, California assemblymember Eduardo Garcia introduced AB 1630, which would streamline private student housing developments within 1,000 feet of California college campuses. 

Although activists and wealthy homeowners have been able to pull attention away from the park and instead toward the lawsuit and CEQA, there is still no productive solution brought to the table.

The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, has become embroiled in controversy recently, with its latest application wielded to block UC Berkeley’s housing plans for People’s Park.

An appellate court ruled Friday that UC Berkeley may not proceed with plans to build student and low-income housing at People’s Park, prompting calls from local and state officials to reform the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, at the heart of the lawsuit.

The 1st District Court of Appeal released an opinion regarding Make UC A Good Neighbor's CEQA lawsuit against the UC Regents alleging an inadequate environmental impact report, or EIR, for the regents' planned development on the site of People's Park on Friday.

The First District Court of Appeal released a tentative decision Dec. 22 regarding the lawsuit filed by Make UC a Good Neighbor against the UC Board of Regents’ Environmental Impact Report for long range developments and student housing on People’s Park.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 118, the Senate version of a bill that increases fall 2022 enrollment at UC Berkeley and reverses the effects of the lawsuit that froze enrollment at 2020-21 levels, after it passed unanimously in the state Assembly and Senate.

The California State Legislature introduced a bill which would nullify the decision requiring UC Berkeley to reduce in-person enrollment for fall 2022.

On Thursday, Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, a coalition of Berkeley residents, won the right to sue UC Berkeley over the effects of increased enrollment. 

Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, a nonprofit education and advocacy group, filed a lawsuit Friday against UC Berkeley for failing to analyze the environmental impacts of the increase in student enrollment over the past 13 years.